Agnieszka Ewa Ziólkowska, recently elected vice-chair of Efling, came to a staff meeting at the union this morning and greeted staff. For the first time in the history of the Icelandic labour movement, two women are leaders of a union. Sólveig Anna Jónsdóttir was voted chairman last year. Agnieszka is the first immigrant elected to this office.Agnieszka is from Poland and has lived and worked in Iceland for the last 12 years, first cleaning for ISS, then as a city bus driver at Almenningsvagnar Kynnisferða. She was a union representative for four years and staff there are among the most organised of the union’s members.”This is a historic moment, where a woman of foreign origin takes on the vice-chairmanship of an Icelandic union. Half of Efling members are from abroad. It is time that the unions reflect their membership,” says Sólveig Anna.
